


"Falling" in Love

by Jb2ndMom



Category: GOT7
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, Fic Graveyard, Heartbreak, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Character Death, Widowed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2019-06-26 13:37:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15664275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jb2ndMom/pseuds/Jb2ndMom
Summary: Jaebeom struggles to come to terms with the loss of a loved one. Is he destined to be alone forever?This one shot was written and previously posted in the Im Jaebum (JB) Amino community on September 29, 2017.





	"Falling" in Love

 

The man slowly pulled into the parking lot and, before grabbing the item he had carefully placed on the front seat, he glanced in the rear view mirror at the little girl in the back seat. She saw his reflection and smiled.

"Are we here Daddy?" she asked, a combination of excitement and something close to worry tingeing her words. The dad nodded in response.

After exiting the car, the tall broad-shouldered man opened the back door and unbuckled the child from her car seat. Offering her his free hand, he helped her out.

"Want me to give you a piggyback ride? It's a good ways away and uphill," he suggested.

"I'm a big girl now, Daddy. I can do it myself," replied the child.

"You're right. You're almost 5 years-old (Korean)," noted the man. His tone was filled with love and pride for the little girl.

"Be careful though and don't run too far ahead," he cautioned.

For a small child, her vocabulary was very advanced. The father was an only child himself and his parents hadn't ever spoken baby talk to him. Maybe because of that, he too had never used baby talk with her either. Though small for her age, she was bright and inquisitive, always asking about things she saw and acutely aware of the feelings of those around her.

Spotting a tree whose cherry blossoms were falling like snow, the child darted ahead, only to trip and start falling. As if this were a common occurrence, the man took three long and quick strides catching up to the girl and reaching for her and protecting her before she hit the ground.

"Thanks Daddy!" the little girl smiled, looking up into her father's face with the biggest brownest eyes. Her hair was raven black and her skin porcelain smooth. Like her father, she had two tiny beauty marks above her left eye, just below her eyebrow.

"You so remind me of your mother," he quipped. "Always tripping on thin air. You look just like her as well," he noted, the love he felt for the two was thick in his voice.

"Tell me the story about how you two met again, please Daddy!" prompted the little girl as her father righted her and modified his hold of her hand.

"Again? You've heard it a thousand times," he said, already resigned to telling her the tale.

The man looked down at the tiny hand engulfed in his large one and smiled ruefully before recounting the story.

"I was walking down a busy street in Seoul, when I became aware of the most beautiful woman. She had raven-black hair like you. She also was very petite. She was wearing high heel shoes and didn't look like she was accustomed to wearing them. I noticed how her gait was a little wobbly. A few feet ahead I saw that the sidewalk was elevated a bit due to some tree roots pushing it up. Just then her phone rang and she tried to reach for it, momentarily taking her eyes off where she was walking. As if in slow-motion, I saw her stumble. I jumped forward and grabbed her hand preventing her from falling."

Checking to make sure the little girl was still listening before proceeding, the man continued. "As I grabbed her hand to steady her, I was faced with a set of the most beautiful eyes. They were like black pools and I became lost in them instantly. It was at that moment that I fell in love with your mother."

The little girl giggled. "Tell me about your first kiss, will you please Daddy? I love that story too!" she prompted.

"Not long after meeting your mother, we started dating. She wasn't really comfortable dating me in public because of all the stares we got. One day we were walking in the park and some people began following us. In an attempt to escape their scrutiny, we took off in a dead run. Given your mom's tendency to trip and fall..."

"Like me!" interrupted the child, as if this were a trait worthy of emulation.

"Yes, like you sweetheart." He continued where he had left off. "Given her tendency to trip and fall, this was a bit dangerous, so I pulled her into a nearby doorway of a closed shop and shielded her from view. As the people passed by, I found myself leaning against her with her back to the wall. Basically I had her pinned. She looked stunned by my actions, but didn't resist. It was then that I reached out and, with one hand around her waist and the other at the back of her head, bent down and gave her a kiss."

"Eew!" cried the tiny child. "Tell me it wasn't a wet slobbery kiss. I saw Uncle Mark give his girlfriend a wet slobbery kiss the other day and it was gross!"

Laughing, the man's eyes turned into perfect half crescent moons. "It didn't start out that way. Also it's not gross when you're in love."

As if to change the subject a bit, he offered again, "Are you sure you can walk the whole way?"

"Of course I can," the child confirmed, swinging her arm and that of her father.

As they reached their destination, the man crouched down and placed what he had been carrying on the ground in front of him. Remaining in that position, he was about at eye-level with his daughter. In the light shining off his face, the little girl noticed tears welling in her father's eyes. When two tears escaped and cascaded down his cheek, he tried to surreptitiously wipe them away, but the child didn't miss a thing.

"Do you hate me Daddy?" she asked in a quiet voice layered with concern. "Does looking like Mommy make you sad and make you resent me?" she clarified.

Turning quickly to his child, the man scooped her into an embrace. "I could never hate you sweetheart. Looking like your Mommy is a great thing. Not a bad thing." He choked on these words as they came out.

Before he could continue, the little girl picked up where she left off. "Why did God take Mommy? Was he mad at us? Did we do something wrong?"

"No. Nothing like that. God didn't take Mommy to punish us. It was an accident. I've told you. The driver's brakes failed and he couldn't stop the car in time. He tried to swerve to avoid hitting Mommy and it cost him his life to do so, since it meant him hitting the side of the road and flipping his car. Unfortunately, Mommy still got hurt, but she was able to stay alive another month until she could safely give birth to you. And his actions were enough that you weren't hurt inside Mommy's tummy. He was a hero. I don't know what God has planned, but he never wants us to be sad or to be hurt. Sometimes, bad things just happen. He can, however, bring good out of any situation. We just haven't seen what that is yet," he reassured the child.

"Then if you're not supposed to be sad, why are you crying?" the little one inquired.

"Well, that's a good question. You see one tear was for sadness, because I miss your Mommy. I wish she could have met you and seen how beautiful and smart and funny you are. I also wish you would have experienced having her as a Mommy as she loved children and, even before you were born, she loved you. The other tear is a tear of happiness. Happy tears, if you will, because though I lost Mommy, I didn't lose you. You are my joy and my life. For that I will be forever grateful."

The father and daughter continuing their embrace in silence, until they heard six male voices calling out to them.

"Uncle Mark, Uncle Bambam, Uncle Gyeomie, Uncle Jackson, Uncle JaeJae and Uncle Jinyoungie! "cried the little girl with joy.

"Why am I always last?" teased the black hair man with twinkling eyes and creases that made them look like cat whiskers.

The six approached the father and daughter. Five were tall and lanky; one was a giant by any standards. The sixth was shorter and very muscular with white blonde hair. All were exceptionally handsome and looked like they moved as a single unit. Two had dark hair, one purple, one bright yellow, one brown, and the aforementioned blond. Adding in her father who sported burgundy red hair, they looked a bit like a rainbow to the little child. The men greeted the father with hugs and vied for the little child's attention.

As if they could communication by telepathy, after a few minutes, the group turned in unison and bowed their heads. Remaining silent for a spell, the child noted that her father had some really great friends and her family was more than just the two of them.

Several minutes passed, when the blond spoke up. "Jaebeom Hyung, how about we give you a few moments alone?"

Always sensitive to the needs of others, this man knew the father's need to spend some time by himself.

"Thanks Jackson. I'd appreciate that. Can I meet you all back in the parking lot in a bit?"

"No problem," was the response that came from the husky voiced stocky male. Turning to the child he offered, "How about I give you a piggy back ride down to the car?"

"Uncle Jackson, I like being up high," the little girl said, glancing over at the tallest of the group.

"Hey! Are you disparaging the length of my legs?" was his reply.

"Well....," replied the girl with care. "Maybe if I could ride on your shoulders....?"

With that the blond laughed heartily and, with one strong beefy arm, whisked the child into the air and perched her atop his shoulders.

"Hold on tight!" he called up to her.

"No problem," she replied grabbing his hair as if it were reigns. "At least you have hair to hold onto," she noted.

"Are you implying something?" cautioned her dad.

Leaning forward so she could speak into the ear of her ride, she whispered in a child-like way that was still loud enough for everyone to hear, "I think Daddy is getting a bald spot on top. He won't let me ride on his shoulders anymore."

With that the group burst into laughter. The dark-haired member with the crinkly eyes said, "I don't have a bald spot either, but I wouldn't want you to pull on my hair like that or I might get one."

The child observed him for a moment and then noted, "Well, I could always just grab onto your ears!"

"Savage! Where did you learn to hit below the belt like that?" he replied with pride while laughing and feigning like he was going to attack the child. Her ride expertly dodged the pretend attack.

"From you, of course, Uncle Jinyoungie," the child said, noting the left handed compliment he'd thrown her way.

With a wave and assurances that they would see him later, the crew and child took off leaving the auburn haired father in silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Several tiers up and a few rows further along, a young woman of about 26 watched the encounter unfold. She was about 5'4" tall, on the thin side, with long black hair. She wore a yellow dress that blew in the wind, causing it to periodically hug her body and reveal her well proportioned figure. Her eyes were dark ebony and, though she smiled at the sight that played out in front of her, the smile didn't reach her eyes.

As she looked on at the scene, she wiped her dirt-covered hands on her dress and remained in place, not wanting to begin her descent to the parking lot just yet. She didn't want to disturb the man by walking past him. She knew he needed some uninterrupted time to mourn. She knew this all too well, as she herself, was experiencing the same thing. The difference was she had no child, no friends, and a big secret.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as the guys and his daughter were out of sight and earshot, Jaebeom dropped to his knees. It was as if all his energy had been spend keeping up the façade that all was well. Now he had nothing to spare. He looked up at the grave stone and the letters etched there. It had been four years since his wife had died and it was his daughter's birthday. Despair overtook him and he grabbed his hair and let loose a keening sound like that of an animal that was mortally wounded and knew it but could do nothing about his plight.

Rocking back and forth in this manner for quite some time, he was unaware of his audience. Eventually, Jaebeom stood, brushed off his knees, looked heavenly and gave a wistful smile.

What he had said to his daughter was true. He didn't believe God was punishing him or that He had been angry and took away his wife because of vengeance. He was, however, frustrated that he still didn't know what good God could possibly make from this situation.

After regaining his composure, Jaebeom gave one last bow in the direction of the grave, straightened the flowers placed before it, and turned to head back to the parking lot and the upcoming birthday celebration for his daughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Slowly, the woman followed behind the man. She was contemplating approaching him _this_ time. She wasn't sure if it would help or make things worse. She didn't know if the prompting she felt to reach out to him was for her own comfort, for his, or for both. As she walked past the grave site, recently vacated by the boisterous guys, little child, and grief-stricken widower, the woman inclined her head out of respect, noting once again the date on the grave marked was one month after that of her husband's.

Mustering her courage, she began to pick up her speed. She felt compelled to reach the man before the parking lot. She needed to speak with him. Fortunately, he seemed in no great hurry, probably taking the extra time to regain his composure before meeting back up with the others.

As she came along side of him, the man turned at the sound of her footsteps. He seemed a little surprised, like he hadn't noticed anyone else was even in the area.

"Excuse me?" the woman called out, reaching for his sleeve.

As she did so, she stumbled on a rock that caused her to misplace her footing and she started to pitch forward toward the ground.

Instinctively, Jaebeom reached out to arrest her fall. Grabbing her hand, he caught her before she landed on the rocky path. He had a sudden feeling of déjà vu, as he clasped the woman's hand in his and spun her to safety.

Startled, the woman could only look into his eyes. They were still tear-stained, but there was a look of unexplained recognition behind the sadness. His chiseled cheek bones, sharp nose, and protruding Adam's Apple combined into features that one would associate with a great work of art. Above his left eye, she noted two prominent side by side moles that looked like a snake bite. They were so perfectly placed, she wondered for a moment if they weren't, in fact, tattoos.

The man had several earrings in each ear and, was he actually wearing makeup on those eyes? His clothing was clearly expensive and purposefully oversized. His broad shoulders, and the strength with which he kept her from her downward descent, indicated a power she hadn't expected when seeing him from a distance. His movements had been swift and sure, like that of a dancer.

Finally, he smiled at her. His lips curved into a sideways grin, revealing a slight over bite that was endearing in the otherwise flawless face. As he continued to smile, the smile crept to his eyes which flashed mischievously, as they all but disappeared into tiny slits.

Finally righting herself, the woman noted that the man had yet to let go of her hand. Looking down she wondered why he hadn't let go once it was apparent that she was stabilized. Blushing a touch at the thoughts running through her mind, she met his eyes again.

"Excuse me. Pardon me," she now verbally stumbled. "I didn't mean to..." Her voice trailed off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vaguely aware that someone was approaching him from behind at a run, Jaebeom shifted his position on the path to make way for the other person. As he turned to see if he needed to make any additional course correction, he saw a young lady approaching at a rather breakneck speed. She was not looking ahead, as he had expected. She was looking right at him, as if he were her destination.

In the blink of an eye he noted that she was falling and instinctively reached out to steady her and prevent her from getting hurt. As he spun her around to prevent contact between her and the ground, Jaebeom looked into the eyes of the woman and froze.

He felt like he was the one falling....falling into her eyes. It was soul meeting soul with a crash that was not painful, but rather reassuring. As he regained his senses, and she hers, he found he was still holding her hand. The woman was stumbling through an apology, but still neither let go of the other.

Finally, Jaebeom could do nothing but smile. He felt as though his previous cries for God to answer how He would use this situation for His good was being answered at this moment.

"Can we talk?" he asked, his voice still thick and deep from the tears shed moments before.

Silently the woman nodded. Hand in hand, Jaebeom walked with her back to the graveside from whence he had come. They stood that way for some time, when the women, without a word urged him to follow her. The climbed a few tiers further up and came to her previous vantage point.

Jaebeom looked down at the writing on the stone in front of him and his eyes shot open, quite a feat since they weren't big to begin with and were slightly swollen from crying. The woman nodded slightly. Recognition and understanding passed between the two instantly.

"I'm sorry. And thank you," mumbled Jaebeom to the woman, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"You don't need to be sorry. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. It was just an accident."

"But," began Jaebeom.

"But it was worth it," she assured him. "The love you have for your daughter; it was worth it. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he hadn't at least tried. That's who he was. Besides, I believe that God has a plan. I just don't know what it is or when he will reveal it to me."

Jaebeom smiled at the woman again, pulling her hand that he was still holding close to his heart. "I think maybe he just did."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

By JB's 2nd Mom

September 29, 2017

 

**Author's Note:**

> I really appreciate you feedback and comments. Please follow me and share my stories. All are JB of GOT7 based. I'll be regularly uploading stories I previously wrote and posted in the Im Jaebum (JB) Amino App community. I'm also getting ready to start a new fan fiction series!


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